


Something in front of you. Someone with you.

by Blueberry_Muffin_Massacre



Series: Headspace Over Time [1]
Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Body Horror, Freeform, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Pretty much everything from the game applies here too, Spoilers, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29215224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueberry_Muffin_Massacre/pseuds/Blueberry_Muffin_Massacre
Summary: [SPOILERS FOR OMORI ENDING]All content warnings that apply to the game should apply here as well.Headspace didn't vanish when Sunny told the truth.Omori did not disappear when Sunny accepted him.Trauma does not simply go away.
Relationships: Aubrey/Kim (OMORI), Basil/Sunny (OMORI), Only vaguely mentioned - Relationship, This is not a shipping fic - Relationship
Series: Headspace Over Time [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145015
Comments: 31
Kudos: 516





	1. White Space

**Author's Note:**

> I actually have plans for this writing, but given my failing attention span with writing I'm not going to promise any schedule.

* * *

It had been a year.

One full year since he told the truth to his closest friends. One full year since he saved Basil and Himself.

That confession. That hellish confession. He remembered it so clearly in his dreams, how he felt his entire body shake and his stomach threatening to leap out of his throat. How he felt his lungs seize and his heart threaten to stop. He looked up through the one eye he cried through to see their expressions. Kel's confusion, his disbelief at such a thing being possible, the weight of reality not having yet dropped. Aubrey's despair, the sound of her knees hitting the hospital floor as she wept. Hero's denial, his clear understanding of what was being said and his refusal to accept it.

And yet they forgave him. Sunny may never fully understand why.

One full year since he moved away from Faraway. He lived now in a small city apartment. It was...nice. The size felt right for the smaller family, and no accursed history hung over it. Sunny enjoyed the kitchen of the apartment, it's white tiles and similarly bleached counters making him feel safe in ways his mother never fully understood. He was slowly learning how to cook. Cooking alongside his mother and with Hero over the phone or during the sparing visits to faraway. His room was small, perfectly so, snug and cozy. He purposefully left it without mirrors.

His sleep over the past year had been troubled. He had trouble falling asleep some nights. Other nights he was struck with nightmares. It wasn't entirely uncommon for his mother to find him awake far too early in the morning playing on his old computer or drawing what he had seen in his fitful dreams.

(His mother worried at times that his drawings were cries for help, but his therapist assured her that there is nothing wrong with a child drawing and enjoying creepy imagery.)

But some nights, he was able to fall asleep. And some nights, he didn't just dream. He returned home.

* * *

**Welcome to White Space.**

**He has been living here for as long as you can remember...**

* * *

Sunny would wake within White Space. His place of safety. No harm could come to him in here other than that he himself may inflict. No monsters can creep under the door.

He sat up, looking at the bright expanse. The faint outline of the bleached blanket on the floor. The white door that lead to Headspace. The wire that dangled from the seemingly nonexistent ceiling, now missing its light bulb. Some things never change.

He saw Mewo walk around where he sat, gently rubbing her head on his leg and purring. Sunny gently pet her, feeling her purr against his hand. It was after a moment of petting that Mewo decided to walk elsewhere, sitting on the black laptop and napping on the keyboard, uncaring of the line of text appearing on the screen as he enjoyed the warm seat. Some things never change.

He decided to stand then, turning to look around. Three things were missing. He wanted to ensure they were simply behind him. There's the tissue box, that's one. And there...

There stood Omori. That's two.

Omori looked at him with empty eyes. Sunny recalled hateful words, but now he rarely makes a noise whatsoever. His presence was oddly comforting now. Even within the blank spaces he had for eyes, he no longer felt hate within them. Sunny still hated himself, but Omori did not have to hold onto it for him. He didn't need him to hide away his feelings anymore. So why was he still here? Sunny was never entirely sure himself. Perhaps to protect him still from things that may hurt him.

That reminded him. Where's the final missing thing? He tilted his head and looked past Omori. It was there he spotted it.

Something was behind Omori.

Was Omori protecting Sunny from it? He sighed at the thought. He didn't need to do that anymore. Sunny walked past Omori, patting his shoulder in some strange form of gratitude before approaching Something.

His heart sank into his gut when he approached. It always did. Something looked at him.

It stopped hiding a year ago.

He gently reached out to it, and slowly put his hands around it. Its mass felt like clean if tangled hair. It was soft. Terribly soft. _Painfully_ soft.

He hated how it felt, because it felt just like Mari's hair. He recalled feeling something similar when Mari carried him home on her back. How pleasant if felt as he leaned his head into her hair.

Sunny felt a few tears drop from his eye as his heart sank past his stomach. A few moments after he started, Something moved away. It gently lowered itself onto the floor, its mass spreading out like a mess of hair. Like her hair. Its eye looked up at nothing, at what amounts to the roof of White Space.

Sunny wiped his eye and collected himself. He still felt bad. He always did when he placated Something. Ever since that day, Something stopped hiding behind him and would wait in front of him. The more he tried to avoid it, the more it would start to hide away in his peripheral and behind objects. He worried what would happen if he let it hide behind him again, so he never gave it the chance.

Something loved him. It loved his attention and his touch. If he provided both, it would grow more content. If he did it enough, it would lie down and not bother him for a time.

Something will always rise back up eventually, however. Something will never go away. Something will always be there, forever.

But Sunny...Sunny can deal with it, how it is. He hates touching it, hates the feelings it brings from his gut, but compared to what it was before...this was manageable. Sunny coped with its presence.

Some days it was worse than others. Some days no amount of horrid contact would satisfy it. Some days Sunny breaks down into sobs as it stares at him. Some days it never rises from its spot on the floor. Some days its hair feels wet and rigid, disgusting and yet less distressing. But Sunny could continue living despite it.

Sunny _would_ continue living despite it.

* * *

Omori watched as Sunny showed him how to play a new game on the laptop. Tetris, it was called. This version of different to the one in reality, all the blocks were made from blank white bricks, but it was still perfectly functional. Omori quickly picked up the basics and they took turns playing. Sunny saw Omori gasp at making a bad mistake. Sunny saw Omori smile at beating his old record.

Soon however, Omori got up and gently tugged at Sunny's clothes. He pointed at the White Door.

He wanted to see his friends.


	2. Headspace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omori's friends were real to him.

Omori was the first to step into the Neighbor's room, Sunny trailing just behind him. White replaced by pastel pink and blues, cotton candy colors of childish sweets. The room was virtually unchanged from before he had told the truth, the same toys littered the floor, the same giant cat kept an eye on that which Omori considered precious.

But the people within changed.

Hero was singing. The lyrics seemed silly and nonsensical, but the tones were upbeat. He watched as Aubrey danced with her stuffed Mr. Plantegg toy. He watched as Kel provided a sort of percussion to the song with his basketball, dribbling with the rhythm. They all stopped when they saw they had guests. Aubrey was the first to speak up. "Omori! You're back!" She ran ahead and hugged Omori, the white boy having his cheek squished against the stuffed toy in the hug. Hero looked at Sunny however. "And you brought Sunny along too! It's been a while, How're you?"

These weren't Sunny's friends. They were based on them, certainly, but Sunny knows they were constructs made by Omori. But they were Omori's friends. They were real to him.

Hero approached and shook Sunny's hand in greeting, the dream Hero being only slightly taller than Sunny as he never grew like the real one. Kel followed closely behind, running up to him as if about to slap him only to move in pretend slow motion. He was waiting for a high five. Sunny gently rose his palm to meet his, Kel "speeding up" to finish the motion and high five him, greeting him in his own way. It was only then that Aubrey decided to release Omori and give a little wave to Sunny.

"So!" Kel spoke up. "What do you want to do today!"

Omori tilted his head as his eyes went to the floor. He was thinking. Sunny normally let Omori lead, it was his space after all, but for once Sunny raised a hand to speak, grabbing everyone's attention.

"...High Rise...?" Sunny's voice was always so quiet. Regardless, Omori's friends heard and understood. "Oh! High Rise Lights, right? I've been meaning to see it, but I didn't want to go without everyone present." Hero admitted. Aubrey had stars in her eyes as she gasped. "I've heard the lights there are like the stars! Come on, let's go!" Kel seemed like the least excited, but that did not mean he wasn't willing. "Don't they have some new hot dog vendors around there? I wanna try whatever new 'dogs they have!"

Omori turned and nodded. He agreed with everyone else. They'll visit this new place in Headspace.

Omori led the way, stopping at the snake. "ssssssssss~? (Heading out, Omori? Here's your allowance for today.)" He watched as Omori pocketed a bag full of what he could only assume were a few hundred of those dime sized shells.

As they stepped out of the stump that marked the neighbor's room, they headed south. The way to the High Rise Lights was through the train. They passed by the empty playground where a familiar picnic blanket sat.

"Hi Mari!" Aubrey said. Sunny and Omori both snapped to look at the person on the blanket. Mari waved happily at the others as they came over to say Hi, but Omori and Sunny didn't approach yet.

Omori took a step forward first, walking to and gently hugging Mari as she returned it. "How's my little brother? Are you eating your veggies? Being careful with your knife?" Omori gently nodded as he turned to face Sunny. His eyes...they may not hold any hate for him anymore, but they still felt as though they carried accusations. Mari, however, smiled sadly at seeing Sunny. "It's okay if you'd rather wait elsewhere, Sunny." Hero frowned and walked back over to Sunny after giving Mari another hug. "If it's alright with you guys, I think I'll keep Sunny some company."

Sunny moved to sit at a bench a small ways away, ignoring a slightly snoring Boss behind his paper facade of a tree. He looked up to see Something laying prone under a nearby tree. It was always close to Mari, but it remained grounded. He turned to see Hero approach and sit next to him.

"...I'm sorry." Sunny spoke first. Hero stopped him before he could continue. "It's okay. You don't need to apologize." He looked at Mari braiding Aubrey's hair with a small loving smile. "She knows it hurts. She doesn't hold it against you."

They knew. Omori told them.

Sunny had lost his sister. Sunny's sister was also named Mari. She died in an accident that Omori caused. They all knew it was an accident, they required no convincing. Of course, they also didn't know Sunny near as well as Omori. Omori did not kill his sister.

They understood seeing their Mari hurt Sunny some. Mari was actually the most understanding. He rarely joined the others when they hung out with her.

"Sunny." Hero spoke up. Sunny realized he was daydreaming. Night...dreaming? He lost focus for a moment. When he turned, Hero seemed mildly uncomfortable. He didn't specify further, only pointing toward a nearby tree. Ah. Something has risen again. They can see it too.

Sunny stood, taking a breath to calm down...but he decided not to go to Something. He decided to go to Mari.

Mari seemed pleasantly surprised that Sunny had joined them. "Hello Sunny! Has my little brother been nice to you?" Sunny nodded. That alone hurt. He knew this wasn't _his_ Mari, and yet hearing her voice refer to him as something other than family...Still, he persisted. "...Braid mine too?" Mari's mouth opened into a small "o" at his request before she giggled. "Sure thing! Your hair's gotten a little longer, I could braid some of it!"

Sunny got closer and turned, allowing Mari's hands to touch his hair. Her touch was soft. She hummed a familiar tune. It hurt. He was happy to feel such things. He was happy to reminisce, to think about her even in his dreams. It hurt. Aubrey walked in front of Sunny and cheerfully showed off how her braided hair wrapped around one side of her head, doing a little spin to show off. Sunny smiled. Mari chuckled. It hurt.

"There! All done. You can see how it looks in the mirror!" She pointed to the floating mirror near the south end of the playground. Sunny turned to face her, seeing her smiling face. He squeaked out a tiny "Thank you." before he stood.

He approached the mirror. He could see the braid on the right side of his head, hanging near his eye patch. He thought...it looked a little silly. But Mari made it.

_It Hurt._

He saw it through his peripheral before it moved behind him. Something had drifted to join him in the mirror. It didn't sneak, it moved so it could always be seen. It only moved behind him because he could see it in the mirror. It didn't hide anymore.

"Sunny...I love you."

It then sank into the ground. Sunny could see it going prone and looking away before he blinked away a few tears.

Kel approached him then, gently tagging him from behind while he was crying. Sunny gasped and spun on a dime, causing Kel to take a step back. "Woah! I'm sorry, I didn't-I didn't know you were crying." He simply meant to give him a little shock, looking apologetic. Sunny shook his head. "It's ok." He spoke. His eye drifted to where Something sank. It was gone. It moved elsewhere, perhaps back to White Space. Perhaps somewhere darker he didn't like to think about.

Kel bounced back after the apology was accepted. "Ready to go to the High Rise Lights? Aubrey's starting to complain we're taking so long. As if she wasn't the one that wanted to get her hair braided!" He pouted a bit. Aubrey snuck behind him like Kel snuck behind Sunny, grabbing and pulling at some of his hair. "You're just jealous your hair is too short to be braided!" "AH! HEY! No, I'm frustrated you took so long!" He pouted harder. Kel felt Angry. Aubrey felt Happy.

Hero approached afterward. "Hey! Come on guys, not while Sunny's visiting!" Sunny turned to see Omori hiding behind Hero. He liked to do that, given how much taller Hero was than him. From under his arm, he heard Omori speak for the first time that night. "...Is Basil here...?"

Kel shrugged and shook his head. "I don't think he's here tonight." Aubrey pouted now. "I wanted to see the High Rise Lights with him!" Hero sighed but comforted the rest. "Well, when he is here next, we'll just have to take him up there!"

Basil. Basil worked...differently. Sunny didn't know why, but Basil was only present in headspace occasionally. He wasn't at his shoe-home, he was just. Gone. The others treated it like he was simply away for the night, not missing entirely. Omori confirmed a few nights ago that he wasn't trapped somewhere darker, he simply wasn't here sometimes. So where did he go? No one really knew. If Omori did know, he wasn't telling. He seemed to deflate just a little at hearing he wasn't here tonight.

"...Train's south west." Sunny spoke up some, snapping the others back on task. "Race you to it!" Kel promptly sprinted ahead. Hero shouted after him. "Ah-Kel! Wait!" Hero ran to try and catch up. Aubrey just crossed her arms. "Good, I didn't want to have to run after him. I wanted to walk with Omori!" She moved closer and held his hand. Sunny couldn't help but feel a slight embarrassment at seeing the sight. His old schoolyard crush was forever imprinted here to haunt him. He still _likes_ the real Aubrey plenty, but the infatuation was gone. Seeing it relived in front of him with Omori only made him flustered.

Omori didn't care. Aubrey was Happy. Omori was Happy.

They walked forward together, Sunny trailing the two. They had a train to catch.


	3. Ever Growing Mind

Sunny was never the biggest fan of train rides. They were either desolate or unbearably cramped. They were either too quiet or far, far too loud. The very few times he rode them when he was younger left very poor impressions, but he met a friend there once. Perhaps he made a friend there instead? They were a large and mischievous fox named Dorothi, standing on tall legs and stealing food out of the open bags of passengers. She vanished even before the accident, but that may have been because he had only been on a train a scant few times.

She was here though.

Everyone sat next to one another on the train ride. Sunny could see it in their eyes: They deeply feared this tall creature. Hero kept his eyes shut and gripped Kel's hand. Kel meanwhile tried to stare straight ahead, not daring to turn his eyes to look at the blackened fox. Aubrey was taking deep breaths, mentally counting between them. Only Oromi wasn't trying to avert his eyes, and his knife was shining on his lap as if ready for use. But Sunny recognized her through the blackened coat.

She was twisted. Lost somewhere dark for the longest time. She was hurt. But...she's still Dorothi. She greeted him quietly and was pet by Sunny, who let her take a cookie out from his pocket. Her fur felt sticky, like it was recently covered in clay. She was much quieter than before, but he still witnessed her steal a small packet of jam from a lumpy passenger when they were dozing off.

She was hurt and scarred by her time below, but she's still Dorothi. She's learning to move on. She and Sunny were so alike, perhaps that's why he enjoyed her presence. It was only when the train was nearing its stop did he hear the tall fox speak in a hoarse whisper. "Goodbye, Sunny...See you soon..." The lights flickered, and she was gone. He saw everyone else breathe a sigh of relief, with only Kel deciding to talk about what occurred. "Man Sunny, you have some weird friends." He had a small uneasy smile, but the comment made Sunny chuckle. Perhaps he did.

He thought of his other friends. Those that only he could see, those that he believed to be at least partially imaginary. Lilli, Cindi, Merci, Nanci, Salli...They were probably still here, somewhere. He wish he knew where. Perhaps...they're still there. In the dark place. Perhaps he should see if they are...He hated the idea. He might have to do it.

He at least knew where Abbi was. She was the first. The first friend his parents called imaginary. He saw her poking around here and there in headspace, and he knew where she lived. She had grown so large over the years...

He was snapped to attention by Omori, who pinched Sunny's cheek and pulled a bit. Everyone else was waiting at the door to the train, shouting to hurry up. Sunny hurriedly stood and rejoined Omori's friends as they exited the train, away from the platform and up the stairs to this extension of Headspace.

* * *

**HIGH RISE LIGHTS**

* * *

Past the orange oasis, as the tracks stretched further beyond the sweet smelling desert, grand towers of concrete rose from the ground. Skyscrapers. High Rises. Bill boards. The smell of industrial cleaner and cheap fried food.

So similar to reality. And yet, so different.

The street was smooth and glittered like black marble. The windows and lights of the many buildings were shaped like stars. Five pointed. Six. Eight. Seven. Ten. Glowing wires and neon signs connected various windows between the windows and across the street, making constellations within the towering structures.

Sunny marveled at this creation. It was as though Omori took his recollections of his new city home and molded it into a child like wonderland.

He saw Aubrey's eyes glistened as she looked at the stars, the constellations of concrete mingling with those in the sky. She pointed to specific shapes and delighted when she saw something new. An eggplant! A train! A tire swing! She used her other hand to gently grasp Omori's hand. Was he aware she was holding onto him? Sunny could not tell. Aubrey was Ecstatic.

Aubrey ended up leading everyone else. She dragged Omori along to view certain constellations and sights. Kel perhaps wasn't as good at seeing constellations, but he did point out other sights. He saw plenty of advertisements for amusements here and there. A big DIY store, a boxing ring, even a stand up comedy club. Kel desperately wanted to see that one, but Aubrey wasn't having it. Omori seemed unamused by the idea. Sunny feared just how bad Kel's jokes would be. Hero comforted him: Another time.

There was a specific sign however that Kel pointed out that got everyone else's attention: Peppy's Pizza Place. A giant anthropomorphic pepperoni smiled on the sign, one that Omori thought looked a little too much like the life jam guy for his liking. Despite his dislike of the sign, Hero and Kel were both excited at the prospect of city pizza. Aubrey pouted at first until her stomach loudly grumbled, causing the others to laugh a bit at her. Kel was Happy. Aubrey was Angry...and Hungry.

It wasn't hard to find the spot. There were seats outside, which they agreed to sit at once they get their food so they could continue enjoying the constellation-like sights. The inside how its own share of sights however. Several sprout moles devouring a pizza that just looked like a crust with tofu stacked on top of it. A jellyfish-woman sitting in a fishbowl was eating a seafood gourmet pizza. A little green alien was eating a sandwich filled with a strange green sauce that looked like the inside of a lava lamp.

Before they had a chance to order however, one of the chefs stepped outside. A walking talking mushroom said there was a disaster! Chef Chez Le'Cheese got caught partway in the cheese shredder...again, and they needed someone to fill in for him! Someone who was a confident cook!

Hero was Ecstatic.

Hero had the biggest smile as he cooked up a storm in the kitchen. His friends watched with curiosity, which was a good thing when a pack of tormentos escaped from the fridge and they needed to beat them into submission. Sunny did not join in to these little play fights. He was unarmed, after all. The fight may have made a mess, one that Kel volunteered to lick clean, before Hero and the other walking topping chefs said Omori could do a lot of good with that knife of his. Omori helped chop up ingredients while the rest help clean up the sauce mess, Kel definitely licking some of the sauce when he thought no one was looking.

Hero was Happy when he got to show off his cooking skills. Kel was Happy to be eating pizza sauce. Omori was Happy to be using his knife. Sunny and Aubrey spoke casually while they helped clean, talking about the constellations outside, comparing them to the ones Sunny knows. Aubrey was Happy.

Sunny was Happy. This place was nice. This dream was nice.

Peppy Pepperoni himself, the apparent owner of this store, came out to thank everyone, and they'd all receive an "Exsssssstra Extra Large!" Pizza for their help. It was as big as the table they ate it on, there was no way they could finish it. They ate to the point of being absolutely stuffed and beyond. Kel began to talk dramatically about the regrets of his life. Hero asked why he was even still here, just to suffer? Sunny was surprised that even Omori seemed a bit overfilled considering he barely ate any of it, idly holding his stomach and letting off the quietest of groans.

Sunny didn't eat any at first. It was dream food, he knew it wouldn't actually be filling and wouldn't taste real...But now he's curious. He gently took a slice of the pizza, not noticing Omori was staring at him as if something were about to happen.

_Choking._

Sunny coughed, spitting the food out. He looked to see strings of it still connecting to his mouth...This wasn't...food. It was hair.

He sputtered, feeling a sick burn rise from his throat. He vomited, but there was no bile, only more hair. He grabbed it as it hung from his mouth and yanked in desperation, only for the feeling of nails to claw at the inside of his throat. He spat out a splinter of wood. A fragmented remain of a violin. Was this hair, or string? He was bleeding. His eye stung with tears of pain and fear. His other eye was gouged out with clippers. He was dying. He was dying. Sunny was Afraid.

Omori stood and walked over to Sunny. Headspace was gone, replaced with the safety of Whitespace. Sunny continued to cough and gag, spitting out blood and pulling at what remained in his mouth.

Omori spoke, his voice a hushed whisper under the sobbing pain of Sunny. "Your dream is becoming a nightmare. You're safe here."

No. No he wasn't. He was ignoring it here. He can't run from his feelings, from his fears. He ran for four years, and it caused so much suffering. Sunny's voice was hoarse from the ordeal he underwent, but he spoke regardless. "...I don't...want to run. I'm done running, Please...!"

Omori sighed. He wasn't born for this. He was born to keep this young man, to keep _himself_ protected from the darkness in his head. And now he's asking for it directly. "I can't help you if you do that."

"I-i...know. Please. I'd rather spend the night in pain then feeling nothing." Sunny looked in Omori's eyes, the endless black within his double's head. Omori spoke up then. "Because you deserve it?"

...

Omori gently place the knife into Sunny's hands before gently wiping at his cheek. "When you're finished there...You know how to leave."

Sunny gently gripped the knife. It's weight was grounding in his hand. He could see himself in the reflection. There was Something behind him.

He turned to face it, Something floating there as if waiting for him. Its gaze turned towards a creeping shadow within the blank void of White Space.

A black door casts a heavy shadow.


	4. Black Space

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A word of warning, this chapter contains disturbing imagery.

* * *

**W E L C O M E T O**

**B L A C K S P A C E**

* * *

Sunny opened his eye. He felt the black blanket behind him, the weight of the knife against his chest as he held it snugly against himself.

He wasn't safe here.

He got up, looking at the blanket. Only a tissue box. He looked up at the wire from the ceiling. A lightbulb hung from it now, but despite its glow it couldn't light up this place.

Sunny turned to see Something was with him. Its presence did not disturb Sunny, as it has always lived here for as long as he can remember.

This is where things go to die. Where lost ideas whither and fade. Where repressed memories are kept to rot. There is nothing good here. Somewhere here, something, or _a_ Something, was causing the nightmare he felt up above.

Sunny thought if he found it, withstood it, that he'd maybe be able to overcome it. It would hurt. It would burn. It would chew him up to pulp and bone and spit him out. But Sunny could leave whenever he wished.

He felt something small yet heavy bump against his chest. A metal key. He saw it was attached to Something, dangling from it's mass. He gently grabbed the key and unwound the hair from it. It was soft. It hurt. He looked at the myriad doors in front of him. One of these would hold what plagued him on this specific night. Many held other woes. Many held woes related to what he did to her. Which one to start with...?

Eenie. Meenie. Minie... That one. He approached one of the leftmost doors and fit the key inside, opening and stepping inside. It was bright. For a brief moment, he thought he re-entered White Space. For a brief moment afterward, he thought he entered a twisted version of his safe place. It was only when he felt a sharp pain to his gut did he realize where he was. This was the hospital. Basil slept bruise and beaten upon the bed. His friends were here. He had just told the truth.

He looked down to see a dozen nails stuck in his stomach, blood slowly seeping around them. He barely had time to think of the pain before he felt more enter his cheek. He looked up at his assailant, a bright pink blur wielding a baseball bat continued to beat into him. Nails dripped from the bat like sweat from pores. Each strike drove more nails into his skin.

_You killed her! You took her from us! **You took her from me! I loved her and you killed her!**_

Sunny grabbed the bat, feeling the nails dig into his palm. Through the back of his hand he saw it, a key driving through his palm like a drill.

He found himself back under the lightbulb within the black void. Sunny curled in on himself, crying, choking on the pain. Dozens of nails filled his stomach, his face, his eye, his hand. He was beginning to drown in his own blood. It was after a moment of agony that he slowly righted himself. The nails were gone, of course. His injuries were gone, even if the pain wasn't. He held the black key in his hand.

"Sunny..." He heard Something speak somewhere near him. That wasn't it. He needs to keep looking. He rose shakily, grabbing Something to steady himself, not even registering he did so. He didn't decide on another door, he simply entered the first one he saw.

It was dark here. Wet. Sunny's feet sunk into the ground as though it were mud. He marched forward through the sinking ground as he looked for anything else in this dark place. There, a small flower. There, another. They formed a trail. He followed as best as he could, feeling wet soil sink into his shoes, feeling his pants grow heavy with moisture.

It was when the trail ended that he looked down at the last flower. A small bud of pink petals. He gently grabbed it and lifted it. Basil rose with it, blonde hair shining like a light in this dark place. He saw his friend smile. He felt blades go into his thigh. Shears gripping his femur. He was pulled down, dragged into the mire and muck to drown. He tried to calm down, but opening his mouth only filled his mouth with the mud. It tasted like clotted blood.

"Sunny...Please stop." He awoke again within Black Space. He turned and retched, trying to clear his throat of the filth only to find it dry. That wasn't it either. It wasn't enough. There was a key in his pocket, right above where he was stabbed.

Next door. He was standing on top of a hospital. The wind carried the faint smell of flowers. He saw himself standing on the railing, the fresh bandages of his injury still wrapped around his head. He watched himself jump off the railing. He approached the railing to look down, to see where his double was falling. He instead saw the faint grass and pavement of the plot below growing larger, rising up at incredible speed to meet him. Sunny blinked once as his vision became dark, feeling-

"Don't..." Sunny held his nose and he rolled on the ground. He thought it was broken, but it wasn't. He thought he was shattered, but he wasn't. It wasn't enough, not yet. He deserved more.

Door. He knew this one. This was the Neighbor's room, but far, far too long. He could barely see the end from where he stood, but he could barely make out the Yellow Cat, ruined as if partially melted. He stepped ahead, seeing Basil flipping through his photo album. "Sunny! I knew you'd-Sunny?" He didn't have a chance to speak before Sunny marched past him. He saw Hero waiting for him, turning to walk ahead as Sunny followed. He watched as Hero walked across a bridge of violins, Sunny stepping over them to see his friends as he stood under the jungle gym. He knew what was coming. He heard Hero blow a whistle as he felt a baseball slam into his forehead. His vision blurred as he reeled, feeling as though the pain leaked through his spine as he felt a kickball slam into his stomach, sending the pain right back up. He fell to the ground, curling in on himself before he gently righted himself, looking up to see one terrified Basil staring at him.

Sunny closed his eye. He deserved this. He deserved every bit of pain. He caused this and more over the course of four years to those he loved dearly. He killed the person they loved. He killed his sister dearest.

...

Sunny opened his eye. He was expecting to feel a baseball bat against the back of his head, but it didn't happen. He was elsewhere.

Somewhere red. Atop a great set of stairs, surrounded by hands. Omori stood in front of him, in front of a great throne made of two cupped hands.

Omori was Angry.

"You deserve nothing. You don't deserve this." Omori stared at him with a look of disappointed aggravation. "You deserve to hurt. You deserve to live with the burden of what you've done. But you don't deserve torture."

Sunny curled in on himself. It hurt. It hurt worse than any of the nails. Worse than choking. Worse than bludgeoning. Worse than Death. He didn't deserve forgiveness.

Omori was Furious.

"I gave you a chance to leave. To realize you were hurting yourself and to stop, but you persist. You were so adamant to tell them the truth, so adamant to continue living. Was it so you could hurt yourself more?"

Sunny felt a hand grip his collar, yanking him up. Omori was holding his knife. "You won't let me protect you in White Space. So I'll protect you like this." Sunny watched as the knife's edge pointed toward his remaining eye.

Sunny was Afraid.

* * *

**STAB**

**STAB WHO?**

* * *

Sunny jolted awake, gasping for air as he held his hand over his eye to protect it. He blinked when he realized he was awake. He woke him up. Omori made him wake up.

Sunny looked at the ceiling fan for a moment as his mind slowly caught up with him. A moment later, he began to cry.

He really hates himself, doesn't he? He thought about the pain he made himself go through. In that nightmare, he wanted to be punished for what he did. He wanted his friends to kill him. That's what was hiding there, in Black Space. It was his own desire for punishment, his own fear of forgiveness.

He continued to cry as he got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. He had to check to make sure he was okay. He knew he could sleepwalk sometimes.

Nothing on his stomach. Nothing on his arms or hands. He check his cheeks and inside his mouth, finding them unharmed. He inspected his ruined eye as best as he could, finding it no worse than it already was. He didn't hurt himself while he slept, not physically at least.

A small feeling of nausea rose in his stomach. He was conflicted in the worst possible way. He wanted to hurt. He didn't want to hurt. He deserved forgiveness. He didn't _want_ forgiveness.

What...what would his friends want?

What would Mari want?

...

They would want him to be happy. They would want him to forgive himself like they forgave him. They would want him to learn to live on despite what happened.

Sunny gently hugged himself and began to cry.


	5. Reality

Sunny disliked Therapy.

He didn't like talking in general. Talking about such sensitive topics to someone he didn't know as well as his friends was frankly hellish. Progress was slow as a result. His therapist was kind and understanding, and while she knew what had happened thanks to his mother informing her, she did not mention this fact to Sunny. They will breach that topic when he was ready.

In the meantime, they spoke mostly of his dreams and his sleep schedule. He had started keeping a dream journal at her suggestion, but she occasionally had to deal with him using pictures instead of words or straight up refusing to put some dreams to paper. She tried to suggest methods to help him fall asleep should he wake early. None of them worked.

Still, Even if Sunny greatly disliked these visits, he held no animosity towards his therapist. It was clear she was only trying to help. Her suggestions on sleep may not have helped much, but she did mention some ways to make sure he ate properly, some methods to encourage him to clean and stay clean, some new ways to try and calm down. Even if it was slow, she assured him that progress was being made. Even making the attempt to improve is an improvement. She assured him that progress isn't linear, that even though some days are worse than others that doesn't mean he's regressing into something worse.

Sunny wasn't sure how much he believed her words, but even having someone say he was improving was comforting in a way.

His therapist also spoke to his mother. He knew this had happened because of the slight changes he noticed in her behavior. Nothing drastic, nothing groundbreaking. She would never try to initiate a conversation about the incident, She would be sparing in mentioning Mari and only in positive ways. She was always present to listen even if she didn't understand, always willing to get up in the dead of night and shake off her own sleepiness to help Sunny.

He did love her. In those past four years, he focused entirely on himself. Not even himself, but Omori. Her voice was backround noise, her messages static. He appreciated her help this past year, joining her for movies and cooking, laughing at her silly jokes. He could feel her absence from the home now when she had to work nights away from home, even if he was okay with being alone in such a manner.

With Omori, he never really felt alone. With Something, he never really felt alone, even when he wanted to.

But with his friends, he felt as though he always had someone to speak to.

They kept in touch through call, text, and instant messaging. They sent photos, talked over call, texted when Sunny did not wish to speak aloud. They even played games occasionally, Sunny's computer now having some basic internet to play with them.

He spoke with Basil the most out of his friends. They were closer than brothers, in a way. Five years ago, they tied themselves together with a thread made of guilt. Now, even if the thread had frayed, they remained close. Basil shared photos of his flowers, of bees and similar cute bugs he found outside. They spoke in depth of their dreams, of the similarities. He was the sole person of his friends that he actively spoke of about his nightmares and fears, as Basil did the same. They were not each other's therapist, Basil had his own now, but they found comfort in mutual understanding of their trauma. They knew more about Something than either of their therapist could. On some nights, Basil's voice was a light that shone through the black of his nightmares, and on others he was the light that shone though his. He missed him the most. Not because of some concept that he was better than the others, he missed his physical presence. He missed the feeling of his head on Sunny's shoulder when he vented about his worries. He missed the feeling of his hands, marked with garden work yet soft.

Kel was the one he spoke to almost as much, in a way. Kel rambled, loving to talk, about sports and games and the activities he was doing. He sometimes worried he was talking too much and making the conversation one sided, but Sunny didn't mind. He enjoyed listening to his voice, reading his texts. Kel was an endless well of energy, and simply hearing to him made Sunny feel a little brighter too. He enjoyed hearing about Kel's latest interests, about what new game he was playing through, alongside hearing about the drama he saw within the gymnasium locker rooms. Last time Sunny visited Faraway, he had enough strength to play basketball with him. He lost, terribly so, but he had to admit it was fun. There was something oddly delightful about playing a game in which you know you're dramatically outmatched.

His conversations with Aubrey were pleasant enough. She wasn't as talkative as Kel, nor as close as Basil, but she was delightful in other ways. She often spoke about what her "gang" were doing, occasionally posting pictures of some ridiculous situation they got in, such as Angel somehow managing to get on top of a basketball hoop but being unable to get down. Not to mention the many pictures of """The Maverick""" getting himself embarrassed in some way shape or form. Sunny had actually spoken to some of Aubrey's friends since he left town, and while they only spoke sparingly, he managed to be on good terms with a few of them. He found Angel to be perhaps a bit ridiculous but fun, and Kim occasionally asked about some of Aubrey's likes and favorites...He wondered why. In a few of the pictures Aubrey sent, he could see Kel present alongside them. Aubrey always vehemently denied his presence and said her camera was glitching.

Hero...Hero was quiet at first. Sunny knew exactly why. He was the most upset when he told the truth, the one that was having the hardest time processing what he had been told. Kel kept Sunny updated on Hero, letting him know he was doing just fine and occasionally forwarding pictures Hero sent to Kel, but it was only a few months after he moved away that Hero messaged Sunny directly. It was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable at first, but they soon began to talk more casually. They avoided troublesome topics, instead sticking to things they could comfortably speak about. Hero encouraged Sunny's new enjoyment of cooking, answering any questions he had and making some recipe recommendations. When he last visited Faraway, he cooked with Hero and made something everyone loved, which he still felt warm thinking about.

* * *

Tonight, he did not enter White Space. Tonight, he dreamed. He dreamed he was at the beach, but that he and Basil had switched places. He helped the others bury Basil up to his neck, who seemed extremely comfortable with the arrangement. He watched as a few flowers bloomed around him out of the sand. When Basil asked to be dug out and was helped out, he picked one of the freshly grown flowers and put it in Sunny's hair, matching his own accessory.

The smell of the ocean mingled with the freshly opened beverages. He saw Aubrey, who's hair was inexplicably pink despite this dream being based on the past, spike a volleyball directly into Kel's face. He saw Hero lie on Mari to rest after he swam.

He saw Mari awkwardly smile as he pulled out Basil's camera to take a picture of them.

Of course it hurt to see Mari. But it also made him feel warm remembering the times they had together. Seeing her and Hero together was something he couldn't help but find adorable.

...

He felt like he should be feeling something else. It was strange, only barely registering an absence of something before his attention turned towards Kel, watching him nurse a bruise with a bottle of Orange Joe's.

* * *

Omori sat upon his chair. His throne of guilt and lies. He knew it would always be here, even if the lies were dissolved. He looked down at the stairwell leading to his seat, red hands holding something down into Black Space, holding a bubbling emotion from ever coming to fruition.

GUILT attacks SUNNY!

GUILT's attack did nothing.

Omori held it down. There was a time to feel guilty, but now was not it. Above him, Sunny reminisced of the times he had with his friends, of the time he had with his sister. He is not hurting himself. He is not hiding from the pain of losing her, but he is also remembering her fondly.

Omori's goal was to protect him. He couldn't hold his emotions down here forever, but he would let Sunny have a night of respite. If he was ever to heal, he needed to remember Mari without the pain of guilt. The pain of loss would forever sting, but this was something he knew Sunny could one day overcome.

GUILT attacks OMORI.

GUILT's attack did nothing.

Omori looked down at it. At this bubbling, churning thing. He stood up, holding his knife as he looked into it. The knife was red. He saw Something in the reflection.

Tonight, he let Sunny have some respite. Tonight, he'd allow himself some release. To enjoy the fantasy of being able to fight one's emotion into submission. It was nothing but a flying fancy, a power fantasy, but one that he decided to enjoy regardless. He knew this would fix nothing, that this was something only Sunny himself could conquer.

But why not allow oneself a little joy in the fantastic?

Omori was Manic.

Omori stabs GUILT.

It hit right in the heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! I have potential plans for another fic in this altered headspace, but I wanted to at least have one finished fic done on my profile. Please let me know what you think, any comments or criticisms you have!


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